Chapter 3 #2
"Then what do you suggest, Akhil?" Raghav asked, exasperated and desperate. "She's my sister! I can't just sit here and wait for that psychopath to make another move!"
"Raghav is right," Devendra agreed, looking at Akhil. "You have dealt with Reyansh for years, Akhil. You know how his mind works. What is the safest course of action?"
Raghav looked directly into his best friend's eyes, his expression shifting from anger to complete, vulnerable trust. "Akhil... you saved her tonight. You were there when I couldn't be. I need you to keep her safe. I am trusting you with my sister's life."
Akhil felt a heavy, familiar pang of guilt tighten in his chest. 'If only Raghav knew how I really feel about his sister,' Akhil thought darky.
He had spent eight long years hiding his passionate, consuming love for Shruti out of respect for Raghav's trust. But right now, her survival was the only thing that mattered.
"I will keep her safe," Akhil said, his voice echoing with absolute, unwavering conviction. "Which is why starting tonight, Shruti is coming with me."
The room fell into a dead silence once again.
Shruti’s head snapped up. She stared at Akhil in utter disbelief. "What did you just say?"
Akhil turned his gaze towards her, his expression unreadable and solid as granite. "You heard me, Shruti. You are moving into my estate in Worli."
"Are you insane?!" Shruti exclaimed, standing up from the sofa, the shawl slipping off her shoulders. "I am not moving into your house!"
"Shruti, listen to him, " Raghav began, but Shruti cut him off with a sharp glare.
"No, Raghav! I will not listen to this nonsense!
" Shruti declared, her eyes flashing with fiery independence.
"I am twenty-seven years old! I am a professional travel journalist who has navigated foreign jungles, hostile borders, and dangerous situations alone.
I am not a helpless child, and I am certainly not going to become anyone's baggage or responsibility! "
She stepped closer to Akhil, looking up into his tall frame, her chin tilted defiantly. "I appreciate that you saved me tonight, Akhil. I truly do. But you do not get to dictate my life. I have my own apartment, my own work, and my own life. I am not hiding in a billionaire's golden cage!"
Akhil didn't flinch. He down at her stubborn, beautiful face, watching the fiery passion in her dark eyes. Most men would be intimidated by her fierce independence, but Akhil found it intoxicating. Yet, his protective instincts were entirely unyielding.
"This isn't up for debate, Shruti," Akhil said, his voice terrifyingly calm, smooth, and authoritative.
"It is my life, so yes, it IS up for debate!" she shot back, her chest heaving.
"Not when your life is in danger," Akhil countered coldly, taking a slow step towards her until he was standing just inches away.
"My estate in Worli is a heavily fortified property. It has thirty-two private security operatives, biometric access control, state-of-the-art surveillance systems, and high-tech threat detection. Reyansh Khanna’s men cannot get within half a mile of my home without being neutralized. "
"I don't care about your fortress!" Shruti snapped, folding her arms across her chest. "I can take care of myself!"
"You almost got shoved into a black sedan with a chloroform rag tonight!
" Akhil raised his voice slightly, his eyes burning with a dark, intense power that made Shruti’s breath hitch.
"If I had arrived thirty seconds later, do you have any idea where you would be right now?
! Do you have any idea what Reyansh Khanna would have done to you? !"
Shruti froze, the raw horror of his words striking her like a physical blow. The vision of the thug holding the knife flashed in her mind.
Akhil took a deep, steadying breath, mastering his tone once again. He softened his posture just a fraction, though his eyes remained fiercely determined.
"I am not asking you to become a prisoner, Shruti," Akhil said softly, his voice carrying an intense, magnetic weight.
"I am asking you to be smart. You are a witness to a high-level crime.
Until my legal team and security team expose Reyansh and put him behind bars, your home is compromised.
Your office is compromised. My estate is the only place in Mumbai where I can guarantee your complete safety. "
Raghav stepped forward, putting a supportive hand on Akhil’s shoulder, then looked at his sister. "Shruti... Akhil is right. His estate is a fortress. If you stay here or at your apartment, Mom and Dad will be in danger too. Reyansh will use anyone to get to you."
Shruti felt her heart sink. That hit her right where it hurt most. She couldn't put her parents in danger. She looked at her mother’s anxious, tear-streaked face, then at her father’s grave expression.
She was trapped.
"What about my work?" Shruti asked quietly, her defensive stance slowly crumbling. "I have deadlines at the travel magazine. I have articles to submit, meetings with Neil..."
"You will work remotely from my home," Akhil answered instantly, as if he had already planned out every detail of her life for the next month.
"I will have my personal IT team set up a secure, encrypted line in your guest suite.
If you need to go to your office or meet your photographer, my personal security team will escort you in bulletproof vehicles. "
Shruti glared at him, a mix of intense frustration and an unwanted, subtle flutter of warmth rising in her chest. He was controlling, arrogant, and completely overbearing, yet the sheer length he was willing to go to protect her was terrifyingly breathtaking.
"And how long is this 'forced stay' supposed to last?" Shruti asked sharply.
"Until I decide the threat is gone," Akhil replied smoothly, without a single second of hesitation.
"You don't own me, Akhil Raheja," she warned, pointing a finger at his chest.
A faint, dangerous smirk played on Akhil’s handsome lips. "I don't need to own you, Shorty. I just need to keep you breathing."
Kavya let out a heavy breath of relief, standing up to cup Shruti’s face. "Please, beta... do this for us. Do it for your safety. I won't be able to sleep a single night knowing you are unprotected."
Shruti looked at her mother’s pleading eyes, then glanced back at Akhil, who was watching her with a calm, triumphant look in his dark eyes.
"Fine," Shruti gritted out through her teeth, surrender sour on her tongue. "I will stay at your mansion. But under one condition."
Akhil raised an eyebrow, amused. "And what condition is that?"
"You stay out of my way," Shruti stated firmly. "You don't dictate my daily routine, you don't treat me like a prisoner, and you do not call me 'Shorty' in front of your staff."